Our deliciously creamy Mac And Cheese is better than the regular, with an irresistible garlic parmesan cheese sauce and topped with golden, buttery parmesan fried bread crumbs!
Does homemade mac and cheese get any BETTER than this? I don’t think so. Switch up your favourite macaroni cheese recipe and make way for this glorious dish full of flavoured comfort food. I can guarantee THIS will become your new favourite.
MAC AND CHEESE
Usually with any recipe, you can decide in a split second which element you like better. Well, let me tell you right now I’m so undecided and have absolutely no idea where to start. The thick and creamy sauce? The perfect, butter fried topping with extra crispy parmesan? Or the kick of garlic?
An easy, cheesy and creamy recipe, perfect for the holidays, potlucks or bbq’s, I guarantee your mac and cheese experience will forever be changed after you try this recipe. It ticks all the boxes!
- Béchamel sauce ✔️
- Abundance of pasta ✔️
- Crispy topping
- Loaded with cheese ✔️
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE MAC AND CHEESE
This macaroni cheese recipe is so easy to make, I can break it down in five easy steps:
Boil and drain the pasta — elbow, macaroni, cellentani, or any pasta you like.
Fry a breadcrumbs/parmesan mixture — please use fresh grated parmesan if possible for the best flavour.
Make white sauce — a typical béchamel with a light change.
Add cheese — see below for more cheese options.
Top with a crispy breadcrumb mixture — the best part.
HOW DO YOU MAKE CHEESE SAUCE?
Making this recipe lower in calories for you, I didn’t want to skimp on the all important buttery flavour mac and cheese is known and loved for. So instead, I cut the butter and flour quantity in half for the white sauce.
Using a combination of cornstarch and milk to do the rest of the thickening for us, there is no sacrificing flavours in this recipe.
THE BEST CHEESE FOR MACARONI AND CHEESE
Not only is this made with the usual cheddar cheese found in most recipes; it has a GOOD kick of stringy mozzarella AND loaded with parmesan because, well, parmesan.
If you’re not a fan of those, you could also use:
Smoked Gouda
Fontina
Gruyere
Gorgonzola
OPTIONAL ADD INS FOR MAC AND CHEESE RECIPE
Bacon: Bacon is always an option.
Chicken: Seared or baked chicken (like our Tuscan Chicken Macaroni Cheese)
Jalapeños: Fresh or pickled jalapeños (like this Chili Mac Recipe)
Herbs: For even more flavour, try adding in Oregano, Basil, Thyme or Parsley — dried or fresh, to the béchamel sauce.
MAC AND CHEESE AS A SIDE OR MAIN
Both, actually. Think of mains like:
Garlic Herb Butter Roast Chicken
Pork Roast With Crackle
Crispy Skin Slow Cooker Turkey (& Homemade Gravy)
Brown Sugar Mustard Glazed Ham Recipe
Or enjoy it as a main. You choose!
The ultimate Mac and Cheese Recipe with an incredible full-flavoured cheese sauce and topped with an irresistible crispy, golden, buttery topping.
Mac And Cheese ON VIDEO!
Need more sides? Try these!
Browned Butter Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
Creamy Garlic Parmesan Brussels Sprouts & Bacon
Honey Garlic Butter Roasted Carrots
Love to stick to the classics? Try these!
Garlic Parmesan Mac And Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 pound (500 grams) dry weight pasta, (elbow, macaroni, cellentani, or any other pasta)
CRISPY TOPPING:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
- 2/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs
SAUCE:
- 1/4 cup butter
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/4 cup flour, all purpose or plain
- 4 1/2 cups milk, divided (I used skim, but 2% or full fat are fine to use)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch, or corn flour
- salt and pepper, to season
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder, or a vegetable stock powder
- 3/4 cup low fat grated cheddar cheese
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
- 6 ounces low fat mozzarella cheese, sliced
Instructions
- Boil pasta in salted water, according to packet instructions, until JUST al dente (do not over-boil)! Drain and rinse well with cold water. Set aside.
- Preheat oven grill or broiler to 190°C | 375°F.
FOR CRISPY TOPPING:
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large, oven proof pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the Panko breadcrumbs; stir to coat and cook until golden browned. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.
FOR THE SAUCE:
- Melt the 1/4 cup of butter in the same pan / skillet. Add the garlic and sauté until just fragrant (about 1 minute). Whisk in the flour; continue to cook while whisking (or stirring) for at least 2 minutes. Reduce heat down to low; gradually whisk in 4 cups of the milk (about 1/4 cup at a time), whisking between each addition to combine. Bring to a boil until beginning to thicken.
- In a separate jug, combine the cornstarch and remaining 1/2 cup milk; whisk until lump free and stir through the white sauce to thicken completely. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the bouillon powder.
- Remove from heat and add in the cheddar, 3/4 cup of parmesan cheese, and the mozzarella slices. Stir through until all of the cheese has melted. Toss the pasta through the sauce until completely coated.
- Top with the Panko and the remaining parmesan cheese. Broil (or grill) in oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until bubbling.
- Allow to cool down slightly before serving.
Laura- @funfoodbylaura says
THIS WAS LITERALLY ONE OF THE BEST RECIPES IVE EVER MADE. THE TOASTY TOP. THE CHEESE. MY GOODNESS I CANT STOP YELLING IT’S THAT GOOD.
jimmy says
can i prepare this dish earlier and bake it before the party starts?
if so, can I stop after I’ve made the sauce? or stop just before I send it to the oven?
Thanks!
Karina says
Yes, that is a great idea! Either of those choices works great! You can make it all and then put it in the oven when needed. Thanks for choosing one of my recipes! Enjoy! XO
Julie says
What kind of Mozzarella do you use? Fresh, the harder kind you find shrink wrapped in the store or string Mozzarella? It sounds yummy and my son loves mac & cheese so I can’t wait to try it!
Karina says
I used fresh mozzarella. Enjoy! It is a delicious, kid friendly mac and cheese! So much flavor!
Doorstep Organics says
Just looking at your garlic parmesan mac and cheese makes me hungry. It looks so good and yummy.
Ellen says
Hi Katrina, This looks amazing (as you have heard before!) but I don’t use bouillon, too much salt. What can I use instead or can I just leave it out? Thanks.
Colleen says
Made this recipe and it was a huge hit with the family’s!! I am hosting a pasta dinner for our tennis team. How can I make the sauce gluten-free??
Jessika says
Came across this recently and made it for date night with my husband. We used lactose free milk and it was still so good and creamy! Best mac I’ve ever made and for sure a keeper! Thanks for sharing.
Kenza says
Thank you fot sharing this amazing recipe. I’ve tried this dish. My children helped me to cook. It was our first mac and cheese. We live in France. Waouhhh ! We loved it. It’s delicious and extra creamy. From now, this recipe belongs to our family best dishes !
Michael Meyer says
How do u prevent the cheese from clumping up. I just made this and the cheese seems to clumping together instead of blend with the noodles. Please help
Karina says
I have found if I keep stirring and putting the cheese ingredients in slowly usually works and not over boiling the sauce. Hope that helps! I am sure it tasted so good for you! MMM! Sounds good now;)!
Jen Motz says
Anyone tried adding browned ground beef to this? Seems like it would be a great addition!
Karina says
Mmmm NO! And I have no idea why?! On my to-do list now. Thanks Jen!
Ang B. says
Hi!! I want to make this for thanksgiving but do you think this will travel well? I was going to cook it on the stove on a skillet and then transfer it into an aluminum tray right before I bake it so I can take it to the dinner. Any recommendations or tips?
Cynthia says
Hello! I had a quick question, I made this dish last thanksgiving and it was a major hit with my family, so of course I’ve been tasked with making it again this year! I just for the life of me can’t remember if I used the chicken bouillon last year or forgot about it completely but I’m leaning more towards the latter. So I was wondering if it’s absolutely necessary for the recipe or if we can go with out it.
Mandy says
When it calls for grated Parmesan does that mean literally the grated that’s almost a powder in the tube or like shredded in the long pieces like the cheddar?
Karina says
Fresh shredded parmesan cheese. Not the tube parmesan 🙂
Student says
Hi can I replace chicken bouillon powder with chicken stock?
Sarah says
This was so good! Even if I forgot to add the mozzarella. My SO loved it, and requested this to now be our go to mac and cheese. ( he says add more garlic, so hey, I am cool with that too!)
Michelle says
Hi! I’m hoping to make this tomorrow for a birthday. Is there anything I can substitute for the cornstarch? if I don’t have any.
stecey says
Do you remove the garlic from the oil? Am I missing a step – I’m making this tonight. It looks amazing!
Sheryl says
I made this tonight and everyone loved it! I cooked bacon and asparagus and added it as well. Everyone went back for seconds.
Evelyn says
I can’t wait to make this!!! I do not own a Le Creuset shallow baking dish, so what size or capacity baking dish should I use?
Granny B says
Had some shrimp scampi left over. Added over the top! YUMMMM!
Karina says
Y.U.M!!!
Sara Snow says
we made this last night! Oh My Cheeessseeee! Delish. Thank you
Tammy says
Is 1% milk fine to use ?
Karina says
Hi Tammy. Yes you can try it!
Heather says
This looks beyond delicious! My husband and I always top with bread crumbs & crispy fried onions! Can’t wait to try it out!
Vicky says
Wow! Ymmy! I like cheese. This dish is to spend for me. Thanks!
colleen says
Made this over the weekend and we loved it. I even brought extras in for my co-workers and they were very pleased.
Izzie says
Um gained a new follower because of this recipe. Made it for xmas and it was super well received. GREAT flavor!
Karina says
Izzie I’m so happy to hear that! And welcome!
Jenn says
I see you say this serves 10, but how much is a serving? I saw someone else asked that question, and said the answer was at the end of the recipe, but I’m not seeing it.
Karina says
Just over 1 cup is one serve Jenn!
Akilah says
So glad I tried this recipe! It’s made my family VERY happy 🙂
Ines says
Just double checking, when you say bake, is it the broiling that is in the instructions
Jerry says
How much pasta do you use for this? I’ve read and re-read the whole recipe and can’t find a quantity. Thanks!
Justine says
I cannot wait to make this! Holy Cheese is right!!
Luna says
Chris, I couldn’t find bullion powder either, so I put 5 cubes in a sandwich bag and broke them up with the flat side f a tenderizer until it was a powder consistency, then measured it out with a tablespoon.
My family and I absolutely LOVE this recipe by the way 😀
Andrea says
Hi, I am a vegetarian and would love to make this recipe but was wondering what you’d recommend in place of the chicken bouillon powder? Thanks so much!!
Chris says
Can you use chicken boulion cubes instead of power. If so how will I be able to incorporate that. Thank you
Toni says
Just made this this mac n cheese and it is booomb!
Callye says
Thank you for responding so quickly! I’m not a huge cook, so one more thing, do I put it in the freezer tonight or leave it in the fridge until I cook it tomorrow morning? Sorry for all the questions 🙂
Karina says
No need to apologise! Store it in the fridge overnight, then tomorrow be sure to take it out for at least half an hour to an hour to bring it to room temp (or close to it) before baking in the oven! I hope that helps!
Callye says
I saw someone ask this, but couldn’t figure out if you answered or not… can I prepare this tonight and then tomorrow morning put it in the oven?
Karina says
Hi Callye! Yes you can!
Savannah says
Hi Karina,
I am making this dish for Thanksgiving tomorrow and would like to know if I can make it this evening and bake tomorrow?
Karina says
Hi Savannah! Yes!
Josephine says
Hi Karina, I was converting the grams to ounces for the pasta and it said 33 ounces is that correct? It seems like a lot of pasta.
Thank you
Lindsay says
Hi! This looks amazing! For the cheddar, do you use white cheddar or regular yellow?? And mild or sharp??
Nephilimfields says
I’m going to try this with black garlic.
Amber says
Hi! did you use salted or unsalted butter?
Thanks!
Karina says
Amber I use salted 🙂
Brittany says
Looks amazing! What kind of baking dish is that? I’d love to have one for when I make this recipe!
Karina says
HI BRITTANY! This is an old Le Creuset shallow casserole!
Michele says
This looks fantastic, Karina!
Can you please tell me what constitutes a serving? One cup?
Karina says
Michele, it’s 1-1/2 cups 🙂
Andrea says
Can you use garlic powder instead of crushed garlic?
Karina says
Andrea, yes.
Jiha says
This looks absolutely delicious! Since I love ALL of your recipes I have tried, I’m going to make this for Thanksgiving 🙂
April. L says
I thought i had died and gone to Heaven!!!!
I took the liberty of adding LOBSTER to this Mac & Cheese and that was the end of everything for me!!!
My day was totally complete! Nothing left for me to do except realize that THIS MAC & Cheese with LOBSTER IS TOTALLY AMAZING!!! I died and was in Heaven!!! All the gooy yummy cheese wrapping all the lobster in a smooth creamy garlic cheesey sauce MMMMM!!! Ok gotta go, gotta go make more since talking about it has made me want more today!!! Lol
The only sad part about this Mac & Cheese is if your sharing it THERES NEVER ANY LEFT OVERS!!!!!
Thanks for this TERRIFIC recipe!!!
You made my rough & busy day a comfort!!
Keep up the great work with your recipes!!
April. L
London Ontario Canada.
Karina says
April THIS is comment of the year!!!! I LOVE THIS SO MUCH! Thank you for taking the time to write back! 🙂
Pammy says
Would I be able to substitute the milk with almond milk?
Karina says
Hi Pammy. Yes almond milk is fine 🙂
Jenn says
Hello, will this recipe work well with full fat cheese?
Kim says
My girlfriend LOVES mac and cheese, and I’m a big fan of garlic parm anything! Definitely adding this to recipes to make this week. I can’t wait to try it, it looks super delicious!!
Lydia says
Can I prepare this a day early before broiling and serving it?
Karina says
Yes absolutely! Keep refrigerated over night, and just before baking leave it out for about an hour at room temperature 🙂
Jessi says
I love Mac and cheese but I tend to find that after the baking process a lot of recipes lose flavor or aren’t as good. Because of that I usually skip the baking stage and just serve it right after mixing in the noodles. How does the flavor stand up after baking in this one?
Karina says
Hi Jessi. I find it better but that’s personal preference.
Nadiya says
Hi Karina,
This recipe looks amazing! Do you think it would work with brown rice pasta instead of normal pasta?
Karina says
Yes of course!
Juanita W. says
Can you make this dish in a pressure cooker ? Looks so yummy. Can’t wait to try !
Karina says
Hi Juanita! I haven’t tried this recipe in the pressure cooker I’m sorry!
Rebeca says
Can I make this dish using a cast iron skillet?
Mary says
Never mind! I found the servings at the end of the recipe! Thanks! I may try today for dinner. I will post to let you know how it came out!
Mary says
How many servings does this make or how much is a serving. Couldn’t find it in the recipe. It looks delicious!
Martha says
I do not like Mozzarella that much. Only on pizza. Would this be Good with a Gruyer and cheddar mix?
Karina says
You can definitely try it Martha!
M. Bickerman says
Just a note: From watching chefs on some cooking sites, they say that if you pour cold water over your cooked pasta you take away all the nutrients. So, I stopped doing that. You might want to google the benefits of just letting it cool.
debby says
is it possible to make thos ahead for a party as i wont have time to prepare sauce while party is going on.
Karina says
Hi Debby, yes that would be fine!
Eileen says
Any recommendations on how to freeze and re-warm this at a later date? I’m making some freezer meals since I just had a baby, and would love to add this to the list!
Karina says
Hi Eileen! First….Congratulations!
You can freeze portions into freezer friendly plastic containers, thaw out the morning you need it and reheat in the microwave in 1-2 minute increments (stirring between each) until heated through 🙂
Tracy says
Just finished this for dinner tonight and it’s the most perfect mac and cheese! The amounts of garlic and cheese you have here are perfect. Just perfect! Even my son who hates mac and cheese now loves it! It wasn’t too heavy like other recipes we’ve had in the past. And I love that you don’t use heavy cream. WINNER WINNER!
Crissy says
I can’t believe there are people out there who hate macaroni and cheese. It is my absolute favorite food ever! This recipe looks amazing, can’t wait to try it soon.
Jennifer says
That is sexy Mac and cheese! mmmmmmm!
Janie R says
Karina, if I might be so bold. Shelley, I would sub some of the veg stock for milk, and for at least the 1/2 cup milk, for the cornstarch, I’d use heavy cream…or light..that might make it somewhat creamy..just not as creamy as all milk…
Karina says
Thank you Janie! Hopefully those substitutions won’t effect the creaminess too much!
Janie R says
This looks so good! I can’t wait to try it! I think I found my new favorite food blog!
Karina says
Aw thank you Janie! Welcome to my blog!
Rosie says
Oh wow, this looks ridiculously delicious!
Shelley says
This looks delicious! Question; I have tons of vegetable stock. How would I use that in this recipe instead of the powder?
Karina says
Hi Shelley. I’m not sure as I haven’t tried it with just stock! I’d imagine it wouldn’t come out as creamy.
Chels says
Hellooo, cheesy goodness! This looks amazing!
Karina says
Thank you Chels!
Katrina says
HOLY CHEESE!! This dish looks so good!!
Karina says
Haha thank you Katrina!